AB de Villiers gives surprising statement 15 years after leaving Delhi Daredevils, says 'there were lots of poisonous characters'
New Delhi: The Delhi Capitals are one of only two original IPL teams yet to win the tournament, despite possessing strong talent in its early years. A common point of discussion among fans is the potential impact of retaining AB de Villiers, who played for Delhi for three seasons before achieving significant success with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Despite initial success and playoff appearances, South African cricketer AB de Villiers disclosed that a negative team environment ultimately led to the Daredevils' subsequent decline.
'I'd hate to give you names — burning people, you know — but the Delhi Daredevils were in shambles. There were a lot of poisonous characters in that team,' said de Villiers in an interview with cricket.com.
During his early international career, De Villiers reminisced about his time alongside cricketing legends. 'There were lots of legends, which makes it a bittersweet memory for me. I still remember those times fondly. Some of the highlights of my life and career came during that stint-especially spending time with guys like Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori. These were my heroes growing up, and I was honestly a bit scared of them.'
'I'm sitting here in 2008 and (McGrath) sits next to me and goes, 'I like the way you play.' So from those highs to also realising there's some cancerous characters inside, no need to mention names. It was a very bittersweet three years for me,' explained to Protea legend.
While the Daredevils boasted a roster including notable players like Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthik, and a young David Warner, in addition to established stars, they consistently failed to win elimination matches.
AB de Villiers' career downturn began with internal team issues at Delhi Daredevils. Despite a strong 2009 season (465 runs), his performance in 2010 was inconsistent, leading to his release before the 2011 auction. He subsequently joined Royal Challengers Bangalore, marking a significant turning point in his career.
'2009 was nice. I played almost the entire season in South Africa, came back, and I thought I was going to be the man. Then, all of a sudden, I wasn't playing again. It was mixed feelings. I was told I would be retained, and then the next minute, I saw myself in the auction. I didn't even know what had happened. So many weird things went on.'
AB de Villiers' time with the Delhi Daredevils (later the Capitals) was initially challenging, but his individual performance was exceptional. He became a highly successful IPL batsman, accumulating 5162 runs and delivering memorable performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
'The day I walked into RCB, I felt like they wanted me to play every game. I was so surprised. They just went, 'You're the man. You're going to grow here. You're going to become a great player with us-you're part of the family.' Done and dusted,' said de Villiers.
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